Members of DREAM THEATER, WHITESNAKE, LIVING COLOUR, JOURNEY and ARCH ENEMY are among the rock musicians and scores of other artists who reacted on social media to the passing of the groundbreaking British guitarist Allan Holdsworth.

The news of Holdsworth‘s death was broken by his daughter’s Louise on her Facebook page earlier this evening. In a short statement, she said: “It is with heavy hearts that we notify everyone of the passing of our beloved father. We would appreciate privacy and time while we grieve the loss of our dad, grandad, friend and musical genius. We will update close friends and family when service arrangements have been made and will notify the public of an open memorial service, which all would be welcome. We are undeniably still in shock with his unexpected death and cannot begin to put into words the overwhelming sadness we are experiencing. He is missed tremendously. Louise, Sam, Emily & Rori.”

Holdsworth released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played a variety of musical styles spanning a period of more than four decades, but is best known for his work in jazz fusion.